This invention relates to continuous stencil assemblies, and to methods for the manufacture thereof.
Reference may be made to U.S. Pat. No. 3,052,284 issued Sept. 4, 1962 showing a continuous stencil assembly comprising a continuous carrier strip (13) having transverse lines of perforations (185) spaced at equal intervals along its length dividing it into individual "business forms" and having holes (53) at its side margins for receiving pins for feeding it. Each individual "business form" (each portion of strip 13 between successive lines of perforations) has a stencil (187) adhered thereto (at 188). The continuous carrier strip with the stencils thereon is adapted to be fed through a typewriter for being typed to impress each stencil, usually with a name and address, and simultaneously to imprint the strip (13), as by means of a carbon sheet or carbon coating on the back of the stencil, after which the stencil may be removed from the strip and applied to an imprinting device, e.g., a so-called handprinter such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,765,737, for stencilling the name and address on packages. Aside from possible problems in high-speed production of the said continuous strip with the stencils spaced at intervals along the length of the strip, there is the problem that the stencils, once removed from the strip, are difficult to apply to the imprinting device (e.g., a handprinter) since they are inherently per se quite flimsy, making them per se difficult to handle.